The POA administration is still looking for someone to lease the restaurant space at the Highlands Clubhouse, General Manager Tommy Bailey told the board at their April meeting. Earlier in the year, ads were placed in newspapers throughout the region after members objected to a plan to add a small grill and turn the large restaurant space over to the recreation department.
One potential lessee has another restaurant operating in the area, Bailey said. That person has toured the space and is working on an application. Another possible lessee has expressed some interest but has not toured the space.
Meanwhile, Bailey has discussed plans for the Metfield Clubhouse with an architect that the POA has used before. After last week's work session, Bailey contacted the architect. The project was expanded last week when the board agreed to consider moving Membership Services to the east end of the building, the former kitchen area.
The last restaurant in the Metfield clubhouse moved out in December 2012, and in January 2014 Membership Services temporarily moved into the former dining room. The kitchen was left intact.
Since then the board voted to add exercise equipment to the Dogwood Room and use the Brittany Room for a grill-type food service. Since that left no space for card players, Bailey suggested partitioning off part of the Dogwood Room. Instead, the board discussed moving Membership Services and using the dining room as a new multi-purpose room.
The board agreed to pay the architect $14,000 to develop a plan and some cost estimates for the renovation.
Bailey reported that some of the kitchen equipment will be sold and moved out immediately. Most of it is too old to be used in the other POA facilities, he said. The operators of the POA's two existing restuarants have seen the equipment and are not interested, he said.
n ELECTIONS -- Two new members were appointed to the election committee, which is busy with the annual election. Gary Creekbaum and Rogers Scoles will join the committee. The annual meeting marks the end of the board election and will take place on Tuesday, May 19, when three new members of the Board of Directors will be named. Ballots have already been mailed to POA members.
The board also approved the first reading of changes to the bylaws that will allow for electronic voting in the future. A second reading will be needed to make the changes.
General News on 04/22/2015